Dr Joel Vos - Teacher University of Roehampton

Dr Joel Vos (PhD) is a reader in Counselling Psychology at the University of Roehampton, London. He teaches and supervises on research in psychological counselling and psychotherapy. His scientific work focuses at developing the scientific foundations of existential and other humanistic therapies. For instance, he has developed several manualised existential therapies for individuals in crisis situations in life. He also evaluates these ‘in the hardest scientific way as possible’, that is with valid outcome measures in randomized controlled trials. For instance, his recent meta-analyses indicate that individuals can benefit from therapies which directly address meaning in life, especially when these individuals are at a crossroads in their life for instance when confronted with a cancer diagnosis (Vos, Craig & Cooper, in press).

Joel’s PhD-thesis on cancer patients suggests that their perception of cancer and their needs for receiving psychotherapy is often explained by the questions that they have about how to live a meaningful life despite their physical limitations.

Joel’s work reflects an integration of different perspectives, as he studied both Clinical & Health Psychology, and Philosophy. Joel holds his own psychology practice, and gives trainings, lectures, counseling, assessment and consultancy to individuals, companies, national politicians, and NGOs. He has been trained in different therapeutic approaches in the Netherlands, and his general therapeutic approach may be described as pluralistic with a specific attention for existential themes. His work has been awarded with several grants and prizes, such as ‘most talented young philosopher in the Netherlands 2012’, and ‘Leo Polak National Humanistic Thesis Award 2006’.